Situated in Papua New Guinea, the Simulator Training Center at the Ok Tedi copper-gold mine is living up to its commitment to develop their most valuable resource – employees. The company has provided education and training to more than 10,500 employees since 1982, and simulator training has proven to be a valuable addition to their training mix.
Utilising simulation equipment from Immersive Technologies, the site holds two PRO3 transportable simulators with numerous interchangeable modules, and a range of supporting technologies including SimMentor and Training System Integration (TSI). This technology is further enhanced by Immersive’s professional services and a successful Managed Service program along with another PRO3 Classroom in the township.
Recently, as part of the Managed Service – a Continuous Improvement Project (CIP) has focused on reducing truck spotting time. Early reports indicate an average reduction of 8% in spot times. A separate project addressing shovel dig rates has also demonstrated improvements. “Developing our people and training them consistently in line with our business needs, is vital to our success. Immersive Technologies has certainly contributed towards these objectives, allowing us to train our operators safely and confidently while gaining Immersive’s best practices through their on-site Training Specialists,” says Peter Lewis, OHS Manager – Ok Tedi Mining.
The site has extended their Managed Service program from Immersive Technologies to complete two truck CIP’s and kick off a shovel CIP on dig rates. In addition, a special “Top Gun” program has been implemented to recognise the most improved operators periodically. This program offers a healthy and transparent competition amongst machine operators to learn and refine new techniques in the simulators – techniques which operators subsequently transfer to the field. “The commitment to training and continuous development at Ok Tedi is significant. Their investment in people and safety is of the highest caliber and we are honored to be part of that goal. The positive results they have delivered speak volumes for the hard work and dedication they have placed into operator training and our hats go off to them,” says Greg Karadjian, Regional Vice President – Australia Pacific, Immersive Technologies.
